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BY L. CHANDLER BALL. 



INDEPENDENT PEINT, HOOSICK PALLS, N. T. 



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45 






ORATION. 



Verily, verily I say unto you, except a man be born again he cannot en- 
ter intothe kingdom of Heaven. 

These words were addressed by the Saviour to Nicodemus, 
a ruler of the Jews, and declare the means by which the 
stains of a corrupted human nature may be washed away, 
and man rendered capable of enjoying that state of blessed- 
ness and peace for which he was created. 

Nations, like individuals, are conceived in wickedness and 
born in transgression and sin ; or if perchance one is founded 
in justice and planted in Eden, the serpent is sure to gain 
admittance and seduce it from its allegiance by means of 
the poison with which the first great copperhead infected 
the human race. 

Nations then must be born again, or they cannot fulfil the 
design of their creation, nor reach to that state of dignity and 
blissful repose which belongs to authority intelligently di- 
rected and power rightly used. 

When westward the star of empire took its way, Liberty 
was its attendant, and her spangled train shed fragrant odors 
around her dwelling place, and filled it with celestial light- 
Here in her western home, on the fourth day of July, 
1776, at Independence Hall, in Philadelphia, was born this 
youngest child of Freedom-the United States of America — 
to whom, like the elder sons of the Patriarch to Joseph, the 
nations of the earth were to do obeisance. 

But this child of promise, though favored by the circum- 
stances of its birth, its early education and the richness and 



4 

beauty of its possessions, did what misguided and impul- 
sive youth has too often done ; it forsook the path of duty, 
denied the faith as it was in the beginning, despised labor, 
reduced the weaker races to bondage, adopted false theories 
of government, set up the idols of nullification and secession 
in the land and said these be thy Gods ; and finally attempt- 
ed to divert the government from the interest of freedom, 
industry, learning and religion, and use it to build up an 
aristocracy founded upon idleness, ignorance and licentious- 
ness, the corner stone of whose political edifice was human 
bondage. And, as notwithstanding these heresies and per- 
versions, unheard of success and unexampled prosperity 
marked its steps, it became hardened in selfishness and con- 
firmed in error ; it forgot the source from whence its blei- 
sings came, and looking upon its vast possessions and iti 
measureless wealth as the work of its own hands, it adopted 
the complacent language of the rich man in the scripture, 
and said : Take thine ease — eat, drink and be merry — to- 
morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant. 

But in the counsels of the Almighty it was determined to 
bring this favored nation to a knowledge of its departure 
from the way in which it should go, and remind it that not- 
withstanding its power and greatness it was not exempt 
from the universal law which requires nations to whom at- 
tach the evidences of divine favor, to forsake their evil ways 
and be born into a new and a higher life. 

This purifying and regenerating process has taken place. 
Mercy and grace assisting, the nation has passed through the 
agonies of the second birth ; and from the smoke of battle 
and out of a sea of blood, presents itself to-day, among the 
congregation of the elect, a sincere and devout worshipper 
at the shrine of freedom. 

Over this conversion and return to the principles of the 
constitution, there is joy in Heaven among the glorified 
spirits of the men who framed the charter of American free- 



5 
dom, and among the noble army of martyrs who gave their 
lives to establish a Republican government. 

Partaking of this spirit, and catching the joyful notes as 
they fall from the Heavenly choristers, we have assembled 
here to take up the jubilant strain, and rehearse the song of 
deliverance. 

First : as becomes a people who recognise the fact that 
God rules in the affairs of men, and shapes the destiny of na- 
tions with reference to the ultimate enfranchisement and 
redemption of the whole human race, we acknowledge with 
devout thankfulness that God fought with us against the 
armies of Rebellion, and that with his own right arm hath he 
gotten himself the victory. 

It is impossible for the most sceptical not to see the hand 
of Providence in this war— guiding the President and his cab- 
inet, directing the campaign, marshalling the combatants, 
giving the victory, not always to the heaviest battalions,but 
trying the hearts and proving the faith of the loyal people of 
the country, by alternate successes and defeats ; hardening 
the hearts and letting loose the passions of the disloyal, until 
the strength of the rebels was completely exhausted, their 
hopes extinguished, and the Heaven defying institution of 
slavery, which they attempted to perpetuate and make im- 
mortal, together with the pernicious doctrine of state supre- 
macy and the right of peaceable secession, have been com- 
pletely swept away. 

That this result could not have been reached during the 
first, nor second, nor third year of the war, now appears 
certain. 

If the magnificent armies first put into the field had been 
properly led and handled, if thoroughly loyal and patriotic 
men had been everywhere in power, if no venomous copper- 
head had hissed down the loyal sentiment of the country, in 



6 
six months from the commencement of the Rebellion the 
avenging hosts of freedom would have planted their starry 
banner upon the walls of Richmond ; and the burst of in- 
dignation that followed the attack, on Sumter, would have 
been swallowed up in the deep exulting shout of victory. — 
But with- what result let us see : The Rebellion would for 
the moment have been defeated, but not as now thoroughly 
crushed out. The Union would have been preserved, but 
only to undergo another and a fiercer trial with the advo- 
cates of state rights whenever the probabilities of success 
were in their favor ; not as now, preserved by a fusion of all 
the elements of loyalty, constituting one indivisible and in- 
distructable nation,whose sovereignty no state will ever again 
dispute. Copperheads would have slunk into their holes 
and dens like the species to which they belong, but only to 
hybernate and re-appear under the warmth of a southern 
sun. Now they are laid out cold and stiff, and no spring 
will ever break upon the winter of their discontent. 

Besides, if the war had been conducted by human fore- 
sight for human ends, and brought to a close within the 
time first predicted, slavery would have been left untouch- 
ed, and the principal cause of the rebellion would remain 
undisturbed, with the slave holder's hatred of the north in- 
creased, and his power for mischief intensified by his desire 
for revenge ; and the condition of the colored race thereaf- 
ter would be vastly worse than before the war, waged as it 
would have been, simply to restore the Union as it was and 
the Constitution as it is. The cause remaining, the war 
would be renewed at every chance of success. 

But in the armory of Heaven a bolt was forged, which in 
its swift descent struck the fetters from the slave, and left 
the bondman free. 

The emancipation of the slave is generally looked upon as 
an episode, a mere incident of the war to preserve the Union; 



7 
yet it seems to have been the grand central point; to which 
ail movements tended ; and I believe that the committee on 
the conduct of the war will have to go beyond the reports 
of commanding officers, and reverently penetrate the designs 
of the divine mind, in order to account for the failure of en- 
terprises, which according to human calculation should have 
been crowned with success. 

Perhaps the sentiment uttered by a distinguished states- 
man, "Union and Liberty ; Now and forever, one and in- 
divisable," contained a deeper meaning than met the ear, or 
the author himself perceived. 

Liberty, not of a class, a nation, or a race, but liberty to 
all the races which make up the family of man, may be the 
sole condition upon which the Union of the states can be 
preserved. It is quite certain that under the restrictions 
which prevented any interference with slavery in the States, 
there was a growing desire on the part of the north to se- 
cede from the south, simply to get rid of the odium and the 
responsibility of slavery, and the undue influence of slave- 
holders in the administration of the government. We have 
seen that the designs and intentions of both parties in thi s 
war have been overruled by a higher power, which no man 
can resist or gainsay. Man proposes, but God disposes. 

The south proposed to found a government, which by 
means of its great staples of cotton, rice and tobacco, would 
make the kingdoms of the earth its tributaries, fill its coffers 
with silver and gold, and clothe its people in purple and fine 
linen. Slavery, like the Genii of Alladin's Lamp, was to 
make the plantations of the south like gardens of the Hes- 
perides; while cities, towns and palaces were to rise in state- 
ly magnificence, and fill the land with more than oriental 
splendor. The south, grasping at this shadow, lost the sub- 
stance, and has been compelled to expiate in tears and blood, 
in poverty and disgrace the wrong it has done to civiliza- 
tion and humanity, by keeping men, women and children in 



8 
bondage, and by conspiring to destroy the best and freest 
government on earth. 

Che north expected to put down the Rebellion in a few 
days, with small cost and the sacrifice, of few lives. It pro- 
posed by the prompt exhibition of superior numbers, wealth 
and power, to coerce the south into instant unhesitating 
obedience to the Constitution and support of the Federal 
government, and then turning to its accustomed avocations, 
continue on its upward course through ages of uninterrupt- 
ed peace and prosperity. But alas for human calculations. 
The war which was to terminate in sixty days, with small 
loss of blood and treasure, has lasted through four long weary 
years, and has tasked the utmost powers of the loyal people 
of the country, in men, in money, in patriotism, and faith in 
human progress. A debt amounting to thousands of mil- 
lions has been contracted for this and succeeding generations 
to pay. A hundred battle-fields are piled with the bodies 
of the slain ; the noble, the brave,the dearly loved. Our hous- 
es are draped in mourning, and weeping and lamentation are 
heard in all the land. Amid the shouts of welcome, and 
through the jubilant hymn that greets the returning volun- 
teer, runs a low wail of sorrow for the dead, who never re- 
ply to our call. 

But these husbands, sons and brothers await us in a world 
where wars and tumults are unknown. At the appointed 
time they will meet us at the Beautiful Gate, and show ui 
the splendors of the celestial city, with whose streets, and 
groves, and mansions, they will have become familiar. 

When the seal is lifted from our lids 
In radiant realms of holiness and love, 

Will angels be the first who come to greet, 
And lead us to our Saviour's feet above ? 

Not angels be the faces I would see, 

These would be strangers to my wondering eyes ; 
Oh may the loved, the dear ones gone before, 

Be first to lead my steps in Paradise. 



9 
But why these terrible sacrifices should be required, why 
the union could not be preserved, slavery abolished, and the 
robes of freedom cleansed of their defilement by peaceful 
means, is one of the inscrutable dealings of Providence which 
we are not permitted here to know. The rivers of Pharpar 
and Abana flowed through the sweet valleys of Damascus, 
but only the waters of Jordan could make the leper clean # 
We must accept the result, adopt the plans which intelli- 
gent faith presents, and wait reverently for their develop- 
ment ; knowing that 

God moves in a mysterions way, 

His wonders to perform ; 
He plants his footsteps in the sea, 

And rides upon the storm. 

Deep in unfathomable mines, 

With never failing skill, 
He treasures up his bright designs 

And works his sovereign will. 

But while we drop tears for the honored dead, and en- 
shrine their memories in our hearts, we remember that 
this is a day of rejoicing, a high festival in the calendar of 
freedom, to be observed with all the seemly demonstrations 
of exuberant joy; a day for mutual congratulation and hear- 
ty recognition of all those who by word and deed, by prayer 
and supplication, have assisted in preserving the Federal 
•Government, and the union of the states thereunder. 

The occasion is one of transcendant interest, and crowded 
with inspiring memories. The war is ended. The great- 
est rebellion ever witnessed on this earth, a rebellion second 
only in magnitude and in wickedness to that which Satan in- 
stigated and led against the majesty of Heaven, has been 
brought to a close by the defeat, capture, and dispersion of 
the rebel armies, and the complete subjection of the south- 
ern people to the* Federal Constitution and the laws* of the 
United States. The flag of the Union, made glorious by its 
adoption as the emblem of freedom by the fathers of the 



10 

Bepublic, now r-e-baptised in the blood of their children, 
floats in triumph over every foot of the national domain, 
and commands the respect of the whole civilized world. 

We have reason to rejoice and break forth in cheers and 
congratulations over this grand, this glorious result — a re- 
sult which will not only restore the United States to its 
former position among the family of nations, but will make 
Americans the Levites of the race, set apart by divine ap- 
pointment to bear the ark of the covenant before the op- 
pressed peoples of all nations and climes, and lead them into 
the promised land of freedom, prosperity and peace. All 
loyal persons throughout the land may congratulate them- 
selves upon the part they have taken in this war, and exult 
in the victory gained over treason, secession and rebellion. — 
We may all share in the glory of having done what we 
could, as opportunity offered, to sustain the government and 
preserve the institutions of freedom. 

But chiefest among the instruments which have produc- 
ed this result are the soldiers, who have met the enemy on 
the battle-field, and with a courage and devotion never sur- 
passed, defeated those inhuman, blood-thirsty monsters, who 
sought by acts that would disgrace a savage, to divide the 
country and destroy the government. To them belongs the 
highest honors,the loudest praise, and the most substantial to- 
kens of respect the people have to bestow. Under God, they 
have saved the country from dismemberment, the govern- 
ment from dissolution, and have nobly illustrated upon the 
battle-field the sublime declaration of the poet : 
" Truth crushed to earth, shall rise again ; 

The eternal years of God are her's ; 
While error wounded, writhes in pain, 
And dies amid its worshippers. '* 

So has risen the Genius of American Freedom ; — So has 
died this wicked Kebellion. 

Too much praise cannot be given to those brave defenders 
of the Union, who left home, family and friends, and exposed 
themselves to almost certain death on the battle field, and in 
the malarious districts in which they camped. 'Tis true,that 



11 

no army was ever so well equipped, so bountifully fed and 
clothed, so tenderly cared for in field, and camp, and hospi- 
tal, as have been the Union armies engaged in putting down 
this rebellion. But at the best the life of a soldier is one of 
excessive hardship, privation and exposure ; and when en- 
gaged in the fierce struggle for victory, with the horrid en- 
gines of war hurling their iron missiles through their reeling, 
ranks, tearing limb from limb, and parting soul from body, 
it is one of fearful and appalling danger, which requires the 
sublimest courage, and the most complete christian resignar 
tion to meet and endure. 

Our soldiers have had more to try their courage and 
fidelity than ever warriors had before. 

The inhuman, devlish manner in which this contest has 
been conducted on the part of the rebels, increased and 
intensified to a fearful degree the horrors of war, and requir- 
ed higher courage and more devoted patriotism to face and 
withstand. There is absolutely nothing in the history of 
warfare on the globe which can in any degree compare with 
the cruelties and sufferings inflicted by the rebels upon Un- 
ion soldiers who fell into their hands. Libby, and Millen, and 
Andersonville will go down the ages coupled with the infa- 
mous deeds of cruelty which the rebels practiced within 
their hated enclosures. I will not weary you with a recital 
of the cruel sufferings and horrid murders inflicted upon our 
brave Union soldiers. Humanity shudders at the horrible 
revelation, and history sickens as she writes the damning 
record. Yet these are the men who claim to embody the 
chivalry of the age, and now in the day of their defeat ask 
pardon and restoration to all the rights of American citizens. 

If I were asked what should be the fate of the rebels up- 
on whom shall be proved the crime of torturing and.killing 
Union prisoners, I believe I should answer as Pizarro ans- 
wered the Peruvian leader, who asked what should be the 
fate of the deserter Alonzo, and say, "Death, death in lin- 
gering torments, protracted to the last stretch that burning 
vengeance can devise or fainting life sustain.'' 



12 
But no t withstanding these before unheard of cruelties* 
added to the horrors that belong to all wars, however hu- 
manely conducted, our soldiers foughtj with unshrinking 
valor, faced every danger, met death serenely on the battle 
field, in camp, on the march, and in the prison pen. The 
bodies of these noble men by hundreds and by thousands 
fill unknown graves throughout the states traversed by our 
victorious troops ; graves unknown to us, but marked by 
the angel of peace, and watched over by the vestal spirits 
that nourish and preserve on earth the celestial fire of free- 
dom. Of such as these the poet wrote : 

"How sleep the brave who sink to rest, 
By all their country's wishes blest. 
When spring with dewy fingers cold, 
Returns to deck their hallowed mould, 
She there shall dress a sweeter sod, 
Than fancy's feet have ever trod. 

By fairy hands their knell is rung ; 
By forms unseen their dirge is sung ; 
There honor comes a pilgrim gray, 
To deck the turf that wraps their clay, 
And freedom shall a while repair, 
To dwell a weeping hermit there !" 

And in after years when the graves of these martyred he- 
roes shall become known, their ashes will be gathered up 
and preserved in sacred mausolemns, and their memories 
will be embalmed with fragrant odors in the hearts of a 
thousand generations. 

Equally with these are we indebted to the gallant men, 
who, exposed to shot and shell, to capture, and to death in 
the mojst appalling forms in which it can be presented, es- 
caped these dangers and brought back the banners they 
bore so bravely into the ranks of rebellion. 

These men have established a claim to our respect and 
gratitude which it will be our highest pleasure to acknowl- 
edge, and a labor of love to repay ; and when they die, col- 



I 13 

umns of brass and marble will be erected over their remains, 
and their names will be handed down with increasing hon- 
ors to the latest posterity. 

It is worthy of note and of especial admiration, that dur- 
ing this long and bloody war which has so taxed the resour- 
ces of the country and the energies of the people, that none 
of the great interests of the courftry, industrial, artistic, ed- 
ucational, benevolent or religious, have been neglected ; 
and when the people meet together as we do now, to ac- 
knowledge the patriotism and celebrate the achievements 
of those who in this war sustained the government and sav- 
ed the country, the claims of the men who fed and clothed 
the army and the nation, who invented, constructed and 
put in use improved implements of peace and more formid- 
able weapons of war, and who under the pressure of the 
greatest rebellion the world ever saw, kept the faith of their 
fathers and carried forward those great enterprises which 
improve the country, enrich the people, and exalt the state, 
should be recognized, and their names recorded among the 
benefactors of the race. 

It is also our duty to speak in terms of exalted admiration 
of the irrepressible loyalty, the heroic sacrifices and the vol- 
untary labors of the women of the country. The sacred 
fire which Roman vestals kept, burned not more brightly 
than does the flame of patriotism in the hearts of American 
women. No Spartan mother ever sent her sons to the war 
more cheerfully than American women have yielded their 
husbands, sons, and brothers to the sharp necessities of this 
cruel war. And Florence Nightingale, whose heroic labors 
in camp and hospital made her an angel of mercy to the sick 
and suffering, has here a thousand representatives, whose 
brows are all radiant with the glory that proceeds from the 
heart that feels for another's woe. 

When we look at the enormous debt we have contracted 
and count the precious lives given up to put down the re~ 



14 
bellion, we are in moments of doubt and sorrow overwhelm- 
ed by the magnitude of the sacrifice, and disposed to mur- 
mur at the price exacted for the victory vouchsafed us. 

But we must remember that according to the value of 
any object, will the cost be. 

"All common good has common price, 

Exceeding good, exceeding. 
Christ bought the keys of Paradise 

By cruel bleeding. 

And every soul that wins a place, 

Upon its hills of pleasure, 
Must give its all, and beg for grace 

To fill the measure." 

Liberty was won and a rebublican government establish- 
ed by the blood of our patriot sires ; and every man who 
claims a share of this rich inheritance, and seeks fellowship 
with the sons of freedom, must be prepared to give his all, to 
secure, preserve and maintain this inestimable, this God 
given boon to man. 

The lives that have been lost in this war can never be 
restored. Liberty has accepted the sacrifice and will keep 
their names in everlasting remembrance. But the debt, 
the money expended to carry on the war, will all be repaid ; 
and every man who has taken a dollar of government bonds, 
will receive principal and interest for his investment. 

The debt will be paid too within a reasonable time ; not 
perhaps by the present generation, but before the young 
men now just entering upon the stage, and about to assume 
the duties of American citizens, shall have passed away, the 
government books will be balanced and not a farthing of 
debt will remain. 

That this event will be a surprise to the fossil statesmen 
of the old world and?the sceptics of this, is very probable. 
But every event connected with this country has been a sur- 
prise. Its discovery was a surprise, and against the predic- 
tions of the age in which it occurred. The American revolu- 



15 
ii on was a surprise. The rapid increase of population, ex- 
tension of territory, and accumulation of wealth, were each 
a surprise. The rebellion was a surprise. The exhibition 
of military power and the unlimited resources which put- 
ting it down has called out, has been a surprise, mingled 
with a little wholesome fear on the part of our neutral 
friends over the water, most delightful, to see. The next 
■urprise will be the payment of this enormous debt ; which* 
according to our kind friends aforesaid, ought to bankrupt 
the nation and destroy the government. 

But" all who expect or hope for such a result, will be dis- 
appointed , for the resources of the country and the enter- 
prise of the people are too great to permit a debt to become 
one of the permanent institutions of the country. 

Foreigners have often reproached us for the habit of boast- 
ing, in which, from our magnificent territory and abundant 
resources we are apt to indulge. But hereafter no language 
will be thought extravagant, no picture too highly wrought, 
that records the prowess and symbolizes the greatness of 
the American people and nafcion. 

No country on earth possesses the resources and has be- 
fore it the glorious destiny that belongs to the United States 
of America. With a territory covering the whole temper- 
ate zone and circling half the globe, it possesses a healthful 
climate and a fertile soil. Noble forests belt the continent- 
Deep mines of coal underlie its plains and prairies. Its 
mountains are filled with iron — its hills crowned with mar- 
ble. Lead forms the banks of its mightiest river, copper 
lines the shores of its great inland sea, and its western foun- 
dations are laid in gold. Swift streams traverse every dis- 
trict, and offer, as they rush through chasms and leap down 
ledges, to join the ranks of industry and perform the work of 
a million men. Broad rivers present their resplendent bo- 
soms to bear to the great marts of commerce the accumula- 
tions of labor. 



16 . 
"Old History, since her record league with Time, 
Hath seen no fabric reared like this, 
With prayers and deeds sublime : 
Seen to no temple shrine 
So rich a luster lent, 
Nor chronicled a wreck so dire, 
As its dismemberment." 

But thank God, our brave volunteers and the indomita- 
ble energy of the north, the country has not been, and will 
not be dismembered. Hereafter as heretofore, we are to be 
one people, one nation, have one constitution, one flag, one 
destiny ; and that destiny higher and more glorious than 
has been reached by any nation or people that has existed 
on the earth. 

The rebellion being subdued, and the reign of peace 
about to be inaugurated, the great questions of reconstruc- 
tion and restoration are before us, and demand immediate 
solution. 

The south is desolated and impoverished, and its people 
are suffering for the necessaries of life. The foundations of 
their prosperity are broken tip, and poverty like a mighty 
deluge has submerged the land. The new relations of labor 
to land and capital have produced a social and pecuniary 
revolution. During this transition state, while the disor- 
ganized elements are reforming and crystalizing into the 
shapes they will ultimately take in the new order of things, 
there will be much suffering ; and this suffering will not be 
confined to what has been called the dominant race. Until 
the condition and rights of labor shall be settled ; until pro- 
vision shall be made for supporting the poor, and gathering 
little children into schools and asylums, the greatest suffer- 
ing will fall upon the negro. If emancipation had taken 
place peaceably as it did in Russia, it would have been an 
immediate blessing to both races. Now the benefit is all 
prospective ; while the disadvantages are present and not 
easily overcome. 



1? 

Emancipation will be to the colored people of this gener- 
ation what Pisgah was to Moses ; an eminence from whence 
they may see the promised land, its delectable mountains, 
its fields of living green and rivers ot delight, but into which 
they are not prepared to enter. 

Much will depend, however, upon the earnestness and fidel- 
ity with which the former slave owner accepts the condi- 
tions imposed upon him, and adapts his operations to the 
new system of paid labor. If he makes the best of the con- 
dition in which he finds himself, deals justly with the labor- 
er, learns and practices habits of industry and economy, 
flings away ambition, brings down his pride to the level of 
his merits and his capacity and disposition to do good, no 
longtime will elapse before plenty will crown his labors and 
prosperity dwell in his habitations. 

If the negro shall accept emancipation as the right to la- 
bor, and support and educate himself and his family ; if he 
shall exercise this right with diligent hands and a thankful 
heart, bearing meekly the burdens and social restraints 
which the universal sentiment of the white races has impos- 
ed upon him, looking reverently to the hills from whence 
his help cometh, he too will reap the reward which follows 
well-doing, and peace and plenty will be his handmaids. — 
And finally, if the public sentiment of the north shall be in 
accordance with sound political wisdom, and favorable to 
bringing the two sections of the country- into relations of 
amity and good will, the day of prosperity and a lasting 
peace upon the principles of atrue christian civilization will 
be much advanced. 

And if the Phillips' and Cheevers', and the peculiar school 
of impracticable philanthropists of which they are the lead- 
ers, will cease their efforts to accelerate the grand march of 
human events, the work of reconstruction and restoration 
will be more easily made and sooner accomplished ; for it 
may be asserted without fear of successful contradiction, that 
the efforts of these men in behalf of the slave, have only 



18 
tended to increase the evil they attempted to remove. If 
these men, at the commencement of the war, when the fires 
of rebellion were consuming the outworks and raging around 
the citadel of freedom, had joined the startled and patriotic 
band that rushed to the rescue, or if, when rebellion had 
broken down the barriers that protected the institution of 
slavery in the states, these men had leaped into the arena, 
and with knightly courage and christian faith struck valiant 
blows at the armed head of the slave holder ; or if they had 
followed in the track ot our advancing armies and cared for 
the wounded, nursed the sick, and consoled the dying ; or 
if they had taken the spelling book and the Bible, and taught 
the colored children to read, and to say, ''Our Father which 
art in Heaven," they would have nobly illustrated the phil- 
anthrophy they profess, and been classed among the bene- 
factors of the race. Not to these men, but to the slave hol- 
ders who rebeled against a just and beneficent government, 
is the colored race indebted for its freedom. The attempt 
to extend and perpetuate a wrong has, in God's providence, 
resulted in its final overthrow. 

The colored race will mostly remain at the south, in a re- 
gion adapted to its natural condition and wants, and it can- 
not be doubted, will eventually take some part in the ques- 
tions of how it shall be governed and who shall be its rulers. 
How far and how fast tie right of suffrage maybe extended, 
cannot with any -certainty be predicted. It would seem, 
however, that the men who have had the courage and man- 
hood to join the army and strike a blow for freedom and the 
maintenance of republican government, might fairly claim 
the rights of American citizens. Those who shrunk from 
the danger, and neglected to embrace the opportunity which 
the rebellion offered to achieve their independence, must 
earn in some other manner the franchises which attach to a 
people who know their rights, and knowing dare maintain. 

That the people of the Southern States who engaged in 



19 
the rebellion are to be sincerely and truly loyal, according 
to the oath of allegiance they are required to take, before 
they will be restored to the rights and immunities of Ameri- 
can citizens may be considered certain. They will have no 
power to injure and oppress Union men, white or black ; 
nor to impede the operations of the government in its plans 
for the pacification of the country, and the extension of law 
and order over the states lately in rebellion. 

But the South, though now subjugated and humbled, is 
not to be held as a conquered province, like Hungary or 
Poland. It will forever form a part of our glorious union, 
and possess all the rights, which are compatible with a re- 
publican form of Government and the supremacy of the Fed- 
eral Constitution ; and its people, delivered from the curse 
of slavery, purged of the sin of rebellion, and grown wise 
through suffering, will devote themselves to the cultivation 
and improvement of their beautiful country, and the ad- 
vancement of art, science, learning and religion ; and at ev- 
ery recuring anniversary of Independence day, will appear 
in the temple of Liberty, and decorate with fadeless gar- 
lands its altars and its shrines. 

That this result will be produced by the introduction of 
northern principles and northern habits, is a fact not to be 
overlooked. 

The elevation of labor, the founding of common schools, 
the consecration of art to theuses and pleasures of domestic 
life, and the opening up the rich treasures of the soil, th e 
forest, and the mine, will be greatly dependant upon north- 
ern capital and northern enterprise. And northern men can- 
not do a greater service to the country and the world than 
to engage in this new field of labor, not as speculators look- 
ing for confiscated estates, and gathering up what has been 
Jeft in the red path of war ; but as American citizens found- 
ing anew home for themselves and their descendants ; tak- 
ing along their household goods and carrying with them the 



20 

learning and refinement which have made northern homes the 
pride and glory of the nation. 

In this way, and by opening the country to the* free labor 
that seeks our shores, the south will receive compensation 
for all its losses, and find that the failure to establish its in- 
dependence has been its greatest blessing. 

When these things shall be accomplished, the lines that 
divide the country into North and South will be oblitera- 
ted. Mason and Dixon, who came near achieving immor- 
tality by settling the disputed boundary between the colon- 
ies of Pennsylvania and Maryland, will be no moreheardof. 

No line will ever be run that shall divide the country, or 
alienate the affections of the people ; but cords of sympa- 
thy will unite in one electric circle whose continuity will 
never cease, ail the States and Territories of this immense 
and magnificent Republic ; over all of which, from the lakes 
to the gulf, and from ocean to ocean, 

"The star spangled banner in triumph shall wave." 

And then, if from the resplendent glories of the upper 
world, our brave Union soldiers shall re-visit the scenes of 
their earthly trials and conflicts, they will find the country 
which they saw ravaged by war, and reeling under the 
blows of sedition and rebellion, restored to its former pros- 
perity ; the people living in the bonds of peace and concord, 
and the Union resting securely upon its deep laid and love 
watched foundations. And returning to the courts above 
to resume the occupation of the blest, they will carry with 
them the sweet assurance that their lives were not given in 
vain ; that the nation they fought to preserve, and the gov- 
ernment they died to defend, will be aa extensive as the 
continent and lasting as time. 



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